Construction of house 1702 (≈ 1702)
Dated by the anchoring irons in front.
1892
Processing of beverages
Processing of beverages 1892 (≈ 1892)
First documented commercial use.
1911-1919
Period as cinema
Period as cinema 1911-1919 (≈ 1915)
Cultural use before commercial return.
1988
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 1988 (≈ 1988)
Front and roof protection.
1992
Purchase by the city of Dunkirk
Purchase by the city of Dunkirk 1992 (≈ 1992)
Acquisition for heritage preservation.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facade and roofing on street (cad. XH 265): inscription by decree of 6 December 1988
Key figures
J.B. Woest - Negotiating and sponsoring
Initial owner of the house in 1702.
Origin and history
The house located at 38 rue des Arbres in Dunkirk is a rare example of civil architecture from the early eighteenth century. Built in 1702, it is characterized by its beige brick structures, relief decorations (Tuscanian pilasters, capitals, cornice) and zinc roof. Sponsored by merchant J.B. Woest, it reflects Dunkirk's economic dynamism at that time, marked by maritime trade and international trade.
Over the centuries, this building has had various vocations: the delivery of drinks from 1892, the cinema between 1911 and 1919, and then the shop of cycles before becoming a estaminet again. The city of Dunkirk acquired it in 1992 to preserve this heritage. The roof, probably redone in the 19th century, and the shopfront dating back to the end of the same century illustrate the successive adaptations of the building. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1988 (facade and roof) underscores its heritage importance.
Architectural elements, such as carved bricks forming pilasters or splits, as well as decorative details (intendably, drops), are typical of bourgeois constructions of the period. The house thus embodies Dunkirk's urban and social evolution, between 18th-century merchant heritage and changes related to 19th and 20th-century commercial usages.
